No Stranger to Shame
by Anndy Malfoy
Summary: defies description. has very little angst, some humor, lots o romance. and yeah, generally summaries suck, so would you just do me the honor and read please?


Disclaimer/Authors Note: Well, here's ANOTHER Uncle Kracker song I don't own. And any characters (except for Anita) are JK's, and I only chose this song cuz of the chorus.

__

I'm no stranger to shame  
I've got little to blame  
You sent for me and so I came  
I'll come runnin' when you call my name  
Cuz I'm no stranger, I'm no stranger to shame  
I said I'm no stranger, I'm no stranger to shame  


A scream echoed through the maternity ward at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Albus wanking Dumbledore, get over here RIGHT NOW!" Minerva McGonagall shrieked to her finance.

Albus walked carefully up to Minerva's bed. "I'm here." He said quietly.  
  
Even in Minerva's state she could here the conflict of emotions in his voice. Sorrow, trepidation, and worry.

Sorrow about putting her in pain. Trepidation about being a father. And worrying about if she would come out all right.

  
_I might stagger and I might sway  
I might stutter just a bit but that's ok  
I'm not walkin' too good that's true  
I got a broke ass limp that'll pull me though  
I might appear to be a pile of rags  
But I'm a stack of hundreds in a paper bag  
I've been around this world and back  
I made a million bucks and put it all on black  
_

"Gods, Albus! It hurts!" Minerva grabbed at his hand.

He winced. His fingers were being held with a bruising force. He'd have to talk to Poppy about breakage.

The nurse in question, Poppy Pomfrey, looked at her small chain of watches. Three were normal watches, well, as far as normal went in the Wizarding World. One was rather like the Weasley's grand father clock. It had the faces of people Poppy cared about on its hands. A fifth held messages like "Your Late." And "You overslept AGAIN?".

The last one, however, was in use. It had only one hand, and it was of a small child in a curled position. It had several messages around the face.

One read "Get that bugger out of there!" and another screamed the slogan: "Can you feel the burn?", and Albus' personal favorite: "No amount of candy'll satisfy this kid!"

Poppy opened her mouth. "Minerva, its time to start pushing." 

Minerva grunted.

  
_So if you see me stumble you don't have to look away  
It's not the first time, not the last  
You can leave me where I lay, because  
So if you see me stumble you don't have to look away  
It's not the first time, not the last  
You can leave me where I lay, because  
_

"Come on, Min! I can see the head!" Poppy called from between Minerva's legs.

"Bugger off, Poppy!" Minerva grumbled.

She began to push again.

"Albus, if you EVER want another child, your giving birth!" She yelled.

"I understand that mi'dear." Albus said in a would-be-calm voice. "But I suspect that I don't obtain the – er – correct bodily functions for such activities."

__

I'm no stranger to shame  
I've got little to blame  
You sent for me and so I came  
I'll come runnin' when you call my name  
Cuz I'm no stranger, I'm no stranger to shame  
I said I'm no stranger, I'm no stranger to shame  


Minerva's breath hissed out as her child came free.

"Well?" Asked the very expectant parents.

"A girl." Poppy said, smiling down at the newborn.

"A girl?" Minerva's voice sounded strangled. Albus had insisted that they keep the gender a surprise.

"Here you are." Poppy said happily, and gave her friend a brief hug as she handed her daughter to her.

Poppy left the room to go get extra blankets.

"What are we going to name her?" Albus asked quietly.

"Well, we had discussed Amanda as a name, if she was a girl. But I don't like the way it sounds." Minerva sounded thoughtful.

"We could use our mothers names." Albus suggested softly.

"Are you alright, Albus?" Minerva asked.

"Of course I am. I'm the luckiest man alive. I have a beautiful daughter, and a gorgeous fiancée, I couldn't be happier. I'm just worried." He admitted.

"Why are you worried?" She whispered.

"Well, I could use the "I won't be a good father," spiel, but that's not all of it. I'm worried about how she'll grow up. What, with Voldemort on the loose, and you having to teach, and me? I'm just a lucky barmy old coot." Albus' voice was hard and bitter.

  
_I've been known to wake up in some dirty places  
The sun only shines on deserving faces  
The mind erases, forgets the stars  
See each and every city has corner bar  
That's where I am in a world so grim  
The lights are as bright as the day is dim  
See I'm priceless in a class of my own  
I used to stay out late but now I don't go home  
_

Minerva's heart almost ripped out at his tone. "Barmy old coot, indeed." She scoffed, her voice weak. "I'm not marrying a barmy old coot. I'm marrying a man. A man with a life outside of war, and who has just been given the gift of a child. A child who has no name, mind you."

"Anita Aaliyah Dumbledore." He said, stretching the name out.

"AAD, it sounds like some sort of disease." Minerva said, wrinkling her nose.

"That's ADD, love." He corrected gently, his eyes twinkling.

  
So if you see me stumble you don't have to look away  
It's not the first time, not the last  
You can leave me where I lay, because  


**__**

[Two Weeks Later]

  
_How do you feel when the birds are chirpin'  
When your in bed and everybody is workin'  
Are you down with the non believers  
Make the slackers look like over achievers  
The dogs scratchin' on the door again  
The cat's out but he don't wanna come in  
You got a bed and you got a floor  
But the couch is closer to your front door  
_

"I WANT TO WORK!" Minerva yelled at her new husband.

"We need someone to take care of Anita." Albus Dumbledore insisted.

"Bugger it all Albus! I'll take her with me!" Minerva shouted. She had been having this fight with Albus since their wedding, which was a week ago.

"Fine." Albus said resignedly. "Come back to work then. I just don't want you to stress yoruself."

"Don't try the guilt trips on me, please Albus."

  
_So if you see me stumble you don't have to look away  
It's not the first time, not the last  
You can leave me where I lay, because  
_

"I'm not my love. I'm not."

"You know Albus, there are moments when I know why I married you."

"Lemon Drop?" He asked, eyes twinkling merrily behind the half moon specs.

  
_I'm no stranger to shame  
I've got little to blame  
You sent for me and so I came  
I'll come runnin' when you call my name  
Cuz I'm no stranger, I'm no stranger to shame  
I said I'm no stranger, I'm no stranger to shame  
_


End file.
